IRCTC keeps order to terminate over 500 catering supervisors in abeyance till further notice

Days after issuing an order to terminate the services of over 500 contract employees, the IRCTC has now decided to keep the order in abeyance till further notice¨.

In 2018 the IRCTC ( Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) hired 560 supervisors for hospitality division on a contract basis for a period of 2 years.

Their main task was to monitor operations of the pantry car onboard trains which essentially means to look after the preparation of the food, quality inspection, handling passenger complaints, and to ensure that the charges of food are according to prices notified by the national transporter.

Since railways has suspended passengers' train services since March 24, the IRCTC, in a letter, dated June 25, informed all its zonal offices that there was no requirement for these contractual workers under the present circumstances and they be given one month notice and their contracts terminated.

However, the contractual employees sought the intervention of Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.

Now the IRCTC has decided that the decision on terminating the services of these employees kept abeyance till further order.

"The order has been kept in abeyance till further notice,¨ a spokesperson for IRCTC said.

Sources, however, said that the contracts of most of these workers are to get over by the end of this year.

At present, the railways operates only 100 pair special timetabled trains and 15 pair of Special Rajdhani Express.

The railways suspended regular mail/express and suburban trains services till August 12 as part of the government efforts to fight against Covid-19 pandemic.